As a first year I walked into The Clock office for the first time and began my career at The Clock as a layout and production assistant. Nearly four years later, I’m beginning my second semester as Editor in Chief, a position I never expected to hold. In addition to my ongoing involvement with the production/layout of The Clock, managing editors and keeping on top of my consistently full email inbox, I’m also faced with the sometimes difficult task of keeping The Clock up to date with the ever evolving world of journalism.
Last fall, my predecessor Kristen Hoffman unveiled the new and improved Clock website, theclockonline.com. In an editorial, Kristen wrote of the experience of “seeing your name in print for the first time,” and how online journalism is replacing the “ink on paper model of journalism.” This is unfortunately true for those who cherish the feeling of holding a newspaper and the lovely ink residue that remains on your fingers. The world of journalism is continually changing, and now that news is available at the touch of your smart phone’s spider-cracked screen, paper news outlets are quickly on the way out.
Today, as the Internet and multimedia continue to overshadow traditional news outlets, I believe that a print article published online is not enough to stay modern; we at The Clock need something else. What I believe to be that “something else” for The Clock is video journalism or the incorporation of video into the coverage of a story. This past spring semester saw the addition of The Clock OutLoud to our website. The Clock OutLoud was a weekly news broadcast that highlighted the most important Clock articles each week. Occasion- ally special guests were interviewed about their involvement on campus, and sports highlights were often included. The students who ran that broadcast have since graduated, but our current staff would like to continue where The Clock OutLoud left off.
This year, we look to complement written articles with video clips of events such as sports games, concerts, open mics, theater performances and day-to-day student life. We will also be covering various events around campus in strictly video format. These will be in-depth features on students, faculty, staff and community members, posted to theclockonline.com. I feel it’s better to see clips of a concert online than it is to read a reporter’s account of what the show was like. Oftentimes emotion is lost in the words on a page, it’s my belief that video allows the viewer to see the people in the story, and hear them in their own words.
In addition to these types of video journalism, we also look to rebrand T he Clock’s weekly broadcast. A more professional set, with better audio equipment and a variety of different segments, beginning with, but not limited to a “campus sports desk” where anchors will talk about sports, sports and more sports.
We want the broadcast to be more than just a retelling of the articles that are printed in the news- paper, we want it to showcase PSU and its’ students. But we need the help of students to make this possible. If you’re interested in video production, video journalism or being an on screen reporter I encourage you to join The Clock and be a part of our transition to broadcast journalism.
We know that there are a large number of students on campus with interest in video production. We see you filming the long boarders in front of the HUB, skiers and riders on the slopes during the winter, and so many other student activities. If you’re doing it for fun why not submit your clips to The Clock for recognition of your skills? Or even join our broadcast team, it’s a great way to get expe- rience and use equipment and editing programs you might not have access to otherwise. You’ll also have the opportunity to leave Plymouth State with a portfolio of videos, and real world experience to put on your résumé. I don’t think there’s anything more important for a college graduate than to have experience written all over their résumé.
Get Experience, Join The Clock!
Veronica Musch
Editor in Chief
vlmusch@plymouth.edu